Chapter 454 Entering Beijing
Once you find your direction, everything becomes simple.
Lin Yuesha had mastered the skill of sleeping soundly. Xiao Qiuyue specially brought the other two to sing opera beside Lin Yuesha, but Lin Yuesha kept her eyes tightly closed and ignored them.
"Miss Lin has good aptitude and the potential to play the role of a corpse."
Xiao Qiuyue was very happy and praised her.
In Qiuyue's class, there was also someone who played a corpse, but that person's performance was not very consistent. No matter how much they practiced, they could not get the details right.
Unexpectedly, Lin Yuesha, a complete novice, possessed such skill that she impressed Xiao Qiuyue. If Lin Yuesha didn't seem to come from a poor family, he would have wanted to recruit her into Qiuyue's troupe to become a professional corpse actress.
As soon as Xiao Qiuyue left, Lin Yuesha woke up immediately. Upon learning that she had cleared the level, she rubbed her aching temples, finally relieved that she didn't have to sleep anymore.
Madam Chen came to visit her in the cabin these past two days, but Lin Yuesha was almost always asleep. Madam Chen was worried, thinking that she was seasick.
After traveling by boat for three days, the official ship finally docked at the capital's pier at dusk on the third day.
Lin Yuesha and Xiao Qiuyue said goodbye and agreed on a meeting place. She then disembarked with her maid.
Yan Yan had sent word to her family in advance, and the Yan family sent a carriage. Yan Yan's governess came to pick her up in person, and she burst into tears upon seeing her.
From the north to the capital, Lin Yuesha was finally going to part ways with Yan Yan, and it was time for their group to say goodbye.
"Miss Lin, I am Liao at Shennong Herbal Hall. If you need anything, just come and find me."
The shopkeeper of Liao Langzhong's house came to pick them up, and He Niangzi and her party rented a carriage to go home, leaving only Yan Yan and Lin Yuesha's family behind.
"Sister Yue Sha, I'll go back to the manor first and discuss this with my uncle."
The earliest it could be is tomorrow, but Yan Yan isn't sure of the exact time; it depends on her uncle's arrangements, and she'll try to get it as soon as possible.
"Sister Yan, you've been away from home for so long, you must be homesick. Go back quickly, don't worry about me."
After seeing Yan Yan off, and waiting for the cargo wagons on the official ship, Lin Yuesha looked at the sky and decided to go to Zhuang's dowry courtyard first.
"Little girl, why don't we find an inn to stay at?"
It was lunchtime, and Chen felt very embarrassed to have come to her door so abruptly. She felt it would be difficult to repay such a big favor, as they were not relatives or friends.
The streets of Beijing are wide, with few narrow alleys, and are all square and orderly.
It was already evening, and pedestrians could be seen everywhere. Peddlers were hawking their wares along the streets, and the area was bustling with activity.
Upon arriving in the capital of the Great Qi, Chen felt quite uneasy in this unfamiliar place.
"Madam, would you like to stay at an inn?"
Several horse-drawn carriages stopped at the dock, and soon a man came up to chat, asking, "How many people are in your group, and how many rooms do you need?"
"Where is this inn located? Is it far from here?"
Lin Yuesha thought her mother's words made sense; if she could solve the problem herself by spending some money, she wouldn't bother others. Seeing someone proactively inquire, Lin Yuesha expressed that she had this need.
"Miss, you must be from out of town. It seems you don't know much about the capital."
The man shook his head. In previous years, there might still be some remote inns with rooms available at this time, but now, from the inner city to the outer city, the inns are full of traveling merchants and scholars on their way to take the imperial examinations. There aren't even any large communal beds available for a few dollars.
"Perhaps Cyclamen can free up a top-class room, but it won't be able to accommodate too many people."
There were several carriages in total, which would easily accommodate more than five or six people, making it impossible to squeeze into one room. Furthermore, the top-class room at Cyclamen Hotel had already been sold for over a hundred taels of silver per night, yet people were still scrambling to get in, just wanting to stay in a nicer place.
There is no shortage of wealthy people in Beijing, but finding accommodation for out-of-towners is a major problem.
"Then why are you asking us if we need a hotel? It's because we want to stay but there's no suitable place to live."
Lin Yuesha sighed. Madam He had invited everyone, but Madam He only had three rooms. Lin Yuesha was afraid that Madam He might be interested in Fang Dazhuang, so in order to separate the two of them, Lin Yuesha did not agree.
That's it, just as Doctor Liao and the others said, there's no suitable place to stay.
It's easy to find a place for one or two people, but with a family to support, including parents and servants, it's difficult to find a place.
“I’m talking about ordinary people’s homes. If a family has a house that’s clean and tidy, they can invite people to come and stay with them, providing food and lodging. But with so many of you, the carriage can only be parked at the carriage yard. Ordinary people’s homes don’t have that much space.”
The man said he could help make connections and ensure that the whole family could live in one alley, but they would be scattered among several households.
After listening to what the man said, Lin Yuesha truly understood the problem of finding accommodation, so she decided not to delay any longer.
"Mother, let's go straight to Aunt Zhuang's courtyard in the inner city."
It's better not to go now, as it will be even more inconvenient later. We might as well go and see what's going on first. If they don't get any news there, then we can find another place.
In short, if we don't set off soon, we may end up sleeping on the streets.
Unlike other cities, the capital city had a curfew at night, and people were not allowed to wander around freely.
"That's the only way."
Seeing this, Chen stopped worrying about personal relationships, and the group inquired about the location and headed straight for the inner city.
The Zhuang family's residence faces away from the main street, with the main gate in a back alley. Although it is an alley, it can accommodate three or four carriages passing side by side, much larger than the narrow alleys in the north that can only accommodate two people walking together.
The courtyard wall is made of high blue bricks, with a vermilion gate and two stone lions at the entrance.
Qingxing skillfully knocked on the door knocker, and a moment later, an old man with gray hair came out.
"Girl, has Miss Lin and her party arrived?"
The old man asked Qingxing, and she said that he had received a letter from Zhuang Shi informing him that someone was coming to stay the night, so he and his wife had tidied up the yard in advance and were just waiting for the person to arrive.
According to the date, it's just recently, so the kitchen has prepared fish, meat, and vegetables.
"Sir, have you received Aunt Zhuang's letter?"
Seeing that the other party knew everything, Lin Yuesha quickly introduced her family and then said with embarrassment that she was really troubling them.
"Madam and Miss, please don't mind. The courtyard is usually empty, with only my old woman and I here. Your presence will make it more lively."
The old man's surname was Zhuang. He was a servant in the Zhuang family and had been managing the mansion that came with the Zhuang family's dowry for many years. His wife said that there was no need to worry about it, as the left and right courtyards had always been empty and he could stay as long as he wanted.
Regardless of whether this was just Zhuang's polite remark, she couldn't be so tactless. Once she found a suitable courtyard, Lin Yuesha would have to move out, but that didn't diminish her gratitude for Zhuang's timely help.
Without Zhuang's help, the group would have had a more difficult time finding a place to stay, and Father wouldn't have been able to get a good night's sleep.
With a safe place to stay, Lin Yuesha felt much more relaxed and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
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